Skylight



Feb 21, 1933.

o. CARLSON 1,898,813

SKYLIGHT k Filed July 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 2 11 5 f 1 r5 *7 4/ n 5 J E .J H L I o h I /40' H v Inventor A ilomey 0. CARLSON Feb. 21, 1933.

SKYLIGHT Filed July 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 'z a' 0501411 CARL ao/v.

Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OSCAR CARLSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK SKYLIGHT Application filed July 8, 1930. Serial No. 466,554.

10 like are opened for ventilation or other purposes, they are held in their open position by thermal devices such as fusible links so that in case of fire, they will automatically move to closed position with a view to the elimination of all drafts and thereby retard the fires progress. In stage ventilation, the practice is just the opposite to that in warehouses and similar buildings, that is all ventilating devices associated with the stage are 20 held in their closed or partly open position by thermal devices such as fusible links, and they are so constructed as to move to their full open position in case of fire to increase .to the maximum, the draft, with a view to 5 confining the fire to the stage section of the building and carrying the smoke and fumes thereof away from the seating space of the building and out through the ventilators, at least for suficient length of time to permit 0 of the people of the audience safely leaving the building. 7

An ideal inclined sash type of ventilator for stages is one of the skylight type, in which the several-sash move automatically preferably by gravity to position in a vertical-plane within the opening, since such a skylight when its sash move .to full open position in a vertical plane, affords maximum opening, the 0 only barrier to the draft being the edge of the skylight sash. V

This type of skylight, has, however, not to my knowledge been used in this connection and the principal reason for this condition, has been the failure to produce a pivotal support which will effectively support inclined sash of large dimensions and at the same time, will permit the sash to move to a position in a vertical plane to provide a maximum draft opening'and which will also effectively exclude the weather when the skylight is closed. 1

By reason of the foregoing existing disadvantages, stage ventilators and skylights,

are generally of the cupola type with side windows or swinging sections which occupy a vertical plane when in their closed position.

Such structures do not, however, afford the maximum draft for the reason that whenmounted to swing about a pivot located intermediate of their ends, a portion of each section swings across the shaft and offers an obstruction to the rising draft, or when mounted to swingv about a pivotal point at either the top or bottom of the section to give 6 a maximum space opening, it is necessary for the rising draft to be diverted to a substantially right angular path before it can escape. Furthermore, such structures are not readily operable automatically, and all installations for ventilating purposes with which I am familiar, require ponderous and cumbersome operating mechanisms which are not always reliable in their operation.

It is one of the objects of the present invention, to provide a novel structure in skylights of the inclined sash type, which new structure greatly enhances skylights of this type for general purposes,'and which paricularly adapts this type of skylight to use over the stages of theatres, auditoriums and the like.

A feature of the invention resides in a novel construction, whereby the inclined sections .of an inclined sash type of skylight, ventilator or similar structure may swing, preferably automatically to a position in a substantially true vertical plane within the confines of the skylight shaft or ventilator opening,- whereby the sections present only their thickness in the path of the draft, thereby offering the absolute minimum obstruction to a free passage of the draft in a vertical direction.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a novel structure wherein the weather will be effectively excluded from entering the skylight at the points where the inclined sash sections are pivotally mounted, when the'skylight or ventilator sections are closed.

Other features of the invention relate to certain novel and improved constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly point- 5 ed out in the claims, the advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention in its preferred form and the following detailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a skylight illustrating the sash in their open position in dotted lines. 7 Figure 2 is'a sectonal view taken at right angles to- Figure 1, on the line2,2 of said 8 Fi e 3 is a detail sectional view takenlon the a r r a n l fiigiirei, s L de il 'ectional ,v w a a c le; takes a n the a .6 Q I all H Y; A v -.Y 0%: ates- 1 2 detail sectional view taken t ii line 5 5 of Figure 2; ll lnj the" I illustrated embodiment, of the llinventiondesignates a roof, and B .d wa es a o s g 0 c pola hec ael 3p quithl'not shown herein as provided Wlth s d wi do m y if i e v suchW (lows, and they m be either of the station- 1m s ins neo s ab e yp jlflzhe roof of the in the embod ment hf tbg,inventionqansiste of two inclined sash m mbers 110 nd 1 of s t ally'id p eonstruetiomand the description of; one will .thereioresuflice for both; By incliningthe sash 10 and 11, triangularspaces 12 are Dro- .Yidedat theends ofthecupola Band these spaces areicloeed by windows 13, which 211- -thoughj herein illustrated asstationary, may he of the'movable type if desired. y

The sash members lO and 11 preferably consistof suitable panes of glass lsecured lvasz-at' 'l, see Figure 3,:to frame members 16. The frame members 16 are preferably 'ofwnight angular cross-sectional shape, and

{o therebvtlreve is an-L-shapedmember 17 =which supports asash pane seat 18 preferably itrthe form of an inverted channel mem- Ber i!) the sidewalls of which are inclined as indicated. This constrnctiomprovides chanas 'hlsf29 which serve to carry off fluids of conform upon the under face of iftli t sashfpanes The panes-of'glassj-rest upon a gas l et or ithe like 21 mounted on top ofthe vtanenjseatfls, and another gasket of felt a? .Qtj9thersuitable material is positioned on top of the; glass pane, and isengaged by a clip 23, which as illustratedin Figare 3 has an upstanding flange; 2 L engaging vertical leg of, the L -shaped member 1 7 $2.16 isentire assembly is seouredv Ogeihflbby su port 'lfor pivotally' mounting the a bolt or the like 25 and serves to removably retain the glass sash panes in position.

The construction just described, is that employed at the ends of the sash, and differs slightly from that employed at intermediate sash rails in that, at the intermediate sash rails, instead of employing an L-shaped member 17;, the member 17 is in the form of a channel, and the clip 23 does not have the vertical leg 24, but is instead in the form of an inverted'chanel, see Figure 5.

It is to be understood however, that the present invention is not limited to any particular sash construction, and that the construction herein shown may be varied, and

that sash of other types may be employed.

The top ofthe, cupola or housing B is open except for a small-central section extending leng hwise thereof which is closed by the cap 30.' "This' cap 30maybe'of'any'desired con- ,s truction, solong as it will; overlie the edg af-each's'ashmqm er, jwh fi he a h; ar

nftheiviopeaipeispn;fli ysash Mata t o wmggma y raeai pla e within the o" n a upperp'ortionjofithe; c ola; j as indicate in {the a s' shfmenibr are; re eased, they, being :9

hereinafter ldescribedl "held againstsuch movementby means to be ttl ere' are trussesbrheams 30, there being one sa l -center oirsvietposia side edges of e army-desired form; butllpreferto fabricate them in the; manner shown of two longitudiay eatending side rails' 3lpreferably o f l i-shaped"crosssection, connected by, a plurality of crosseddia gammy extending, braces 32, and transversely extending braces 32 suitably, fastened together toi proyide a rigid f' structure of sufficient i for the pur- 1 10 "pose' intended.

. ,7 The, trusses or beams 30' are orted within' thev cupola-9r (housing BL a @935 irllFlgll ie 3., andfformthe sole means Us members-as, w bQ I O fi i Referringfto Figure 4; it will be noted a at each sash member has a longitudinally exend gbe mmem tf 5-p m ly mpe "in cross sectiom and-that these beams" are 'sea .120 cured to their respective sash'memb erfat a point below the iongit'udifial center line thereof, or nearerfthe lower ed e-ther of. 'Hinges 36 are secured as at "3'7 to thesejheams 35, and

at 3810 the or beains'30. and in the 1 preferred'ior mof the invention, these hinges 'form the sole support; mfthe sash members uponusaidybeams 36.;v .r

, tjn sash. 11$ above sfiby poaitwnmg the iheumsi 351;) which 430 'maintain the sash members in their closed position and in the present embodiment of the invention ropes, cables or the like 40 are employed. These ropes or the like are preferably connected to the sash members by a fusible device such as a link 41, and the ropes or cables may also have a number of such devices throughout their length at suitable intervals and at desired locations between their ends.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the sash members may be held in a fully closed or partially open position by said ropes or cabl s, and that when in any position but their full open position, they will immediately move to their full open position upon release of any one of the fusible links.

As will be apparent, the sash members are .mounted wholly within the open upper end of the cupola or housing B, and I will now describe the construction by which the weather is excluded from the joints between the ends of the sash members, and the adjacent walls of the cupola or housing B.

The end walls of the cupola or housing B each have a cap plate which is preferably in the form of an inverted channel 40 and they may be secured to their respective end wallby bolts, rivets or the like 41 see Figure 4, which pass through the upper flange of a beam 42 mounted upon the upper edges of said end walls.

As more clearly illustrated in Figure 4, the cap plates 40 terminate at their lowe r end at a point short of their respective pivotal point of the sash, and are formed with a housing 43 having a rolled wall 45, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Each of the L-shaped members 16 which form the end sash frames are provided with a cap plate 46 preferably in the form of an inverted channel member, which is secured to its respective channel member in a similar manner to the cap plates 40 as for example by bolts or the like 47. The upper end of each of these cap plates terminates short of its respective pivotal point of the sash as illustrated at 48 in Figure 4.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that as the sash are moved from their open position to their closed position, the upper portion of the upper side flanges of the end members 16 of the sash members move to position beneath their respective cap 1 plates 40', and that the cap' plates 46 carried by the lower portions of these sash frame members move to position over the lower portions of their respective beams 42, and this construction also permits of free swinging of the sash about their pivotal points, in the manner heretofore described, and at the same time provides a weather tight joint between the ends of the sash members and their respective end walls of the cupola or housing B beneath the cap plates 40 and 46.

The construction as thus far described, leaves a break between the innerends of the cap members 40' and 46, as illustrated in Figure 4, and the means which is provided to render this portion of the joint between the sash frames and their respective stationary sash support weather proof, will now be described.

Pivotally mounted in each of the housings 43, there is a cap plate 50, which consists of a relatively short length of channel member arranged in inverted position. The cap plate ,50 has a rolled extension 51 which engages around the rolled wall 45 of its respective housing 43, and this construction provides means for pivotally mounting each cap plate 50 upon the lower end of its respective cap plates 40. The opposite or free end 51 of the cap plates 50 slides upon the top of its respective cap plate 46 and may be formed with ears such as 52 or similar depending portions, and accidental raising of the free ends of the cap members 50 may be prevented by means of pins or the like 54 carried by the ears 52 and engaging beneath the side flanges of the cap plates 46. The free end of these cap plates 50'is preferably formed with an upturned lip 55 to act as a water shed for the joint between the end of the cap plates 50 and their respective cap plates 46.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a skylight construction of the pivoted inclined sash type which when in its closed position, will be entirely weather-proof and which ,will at the same time move automatically to open po-- sition and in. so doing, will provide a free and unobstructedpassage through the skylight.

It will also be apparent that the sash of the skylight may. by reason of the holding means 40. be maintained partially open for ventilating purposes, from which partially open position they are free to move automatically to their full open position.

While the invention is herein illustrated in a preferred form, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited to the form or construction illustrated, and that it may be practiced in various forms, and is adaptable to any type of inclined sash skylight or ventilator.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to secure by U. S. Letters Patent, is:

1.'A skylight construction comprising a stationary sash support, a sash pivotally mounted in said support, and means for excluding Weather from the joint between the sash support and the sash, said means comprising a member pivotally connected to the sash support, and having sliding engagement with the sash frame.

2. A skylight construction comprising a skylight shaft, and means for excluding weather from the joint between the shaft and the skylight, said means comprising a flanged member pivotally mounted on the wall of the shaft at a point removed from the pivotal point of the sash, and having sliding engagement with the sash at a point removed from the pivotal point of the sash.

3. A skylight construction comprising a skylight shaft, a sash pivotally mounted in said shaft, and means for excluding the weather from the joint between the shaft and the skylight, said means comprising a flanged member pivotally mounted on the wall of the shaft at a point removed from the pivotal point of the sash, and having sliding engagement with the sash at a point removed from the pivotal point of the sash, on the opposite side of the pivotal point of the sash.

4t. A skylight construction comprising a stationary sash support, a sash pivotally mounted in said support, and means for excluding weather from the pivotal mounting of the sash, said means comprising a member pivotally connected to the sash support, and having sliding engagement with the sash frame, said member having side flanges embracing the sides of the sash, and the sides of the sash support.

5. A skylig t construction comprising a sash support including spaced channel members positioned on edge, a cap for each of said channel members positioned on edge, in back to back relation to the channel members of the sash support, a cap for each ofthe channel members of the sash, means for pivotally mounting the sash in said sash support, and means for excluding the weather from the end pivots of said sash, said means including an inverted channel member pivotally secured to the sash support adjacent each pivot, each of said inverted channel members having sliding engagement with its respective sash side frame. I

6. A skylight construction including spaced channel 'members supported on edge, a cap for each of said channel members, a sash including side frames formed of channel members positioned on edge, and arranged in back to back relation to the spaced channel members, a cap for each of the channel members of the sash, each of said caps being wider than the member to which it is attached, to overlie the other member when the than the member to which it is attached, to

overlie the other member when the sash is in closed position, means for pivotally mounting the sash, and means for excluding the weather from the pivotal points of the sash, said last mentioned means comprising an inverted channel member pivotally connected to one of said caps, and having sliding engagement with the other cap.

8. A skylight construction comprising a sash support including two spaced channel members arranged on edge, a sash including side rails formed of channel members arranged on edge, means for pivotally mounting the sash in the sash support, a cap carried by each of the channel members of the sash support, and terminating short of the pivotal points of the sash, a cap carried by each of the channel members of the sash and terminating short of the pivot points of the sash, a housing on the pivot end of each of the caps carried by the channels of the sash support, and an inverted channel section pivotally mounted in each of said housings, and having a free end overlying the pivot end of the cap carried by its respective side rail of the sash.

9. In a skylight construction, a housing, a plurality of trusses or beams, extending across said housing, and a skylight sash pivotally mounted on each of said trusses, and adapted to close the open side of said hous- I0. In a skylight construction, a housing having an open upper side, a truss or beam extending across said housing, and a skylight sash pivotally mounted on said truss or beam.

11. In a skylight construction, a housing having an open upper side, trusses or beams extending across said housing from end to end, there being one truss or beam adjacent each side edge of the housing and arranged relatively close thereto, and a sash pivotally mounted on each of said trusses or beams.

12. In a skylight construction, a housing having an open upper side, a ridge or cap plate dividing said open upper side into two sections, each having one of its side edges in a horizontal plane below the ridge or cap, a truss or beam adjacent the lower side of each of said sections, and each arranged below the longitudinal center line oi its re ective section and a sash pivotally mounte upon each oi said trusses or beams, the pivotal oints or each sash being ofl=set with respect 5 o the longitudinal center axis oi the sash whereby one side of the sash swings mto the housin upon movement of the see about its pivota points.

15. In a skylight construction, a housing 19 having an open u per side, a ridge or cap plate ividing sai open upper side into two sections, each having one of its side edges in a horizontal plane below the ridge or cap a truss or beam adgaeent the lower side oi 15 each of 'said sect ions, and each arranged below the longitudinal center line of its respective section, a sash pivotally mounted upon each oi said trusses or beams, the ivotal points of each sash being ofi=set with re- 90 spect to the longitudinal center axis of the sash whereby one side of the sash swings into the housing upon movement of the sash about its ivota points, and means for excludin wea her from the joints between the sash an 95 the ad acent walls of the housing.

14. n a skylight construction, a housing having an open rapper side, a ridge or cap plate ividing sai open up or side into two sections, each havin one 0 its side edges in 30 a horizontal plane elow the ridge or cap a truss or beam ad3aoent the lower side of each oi said sections, and each arranged below the longitudinal center line of its respective section, a sash pivotally mounted upon each of said trusses or beams, the pivotal points of each each be: ofi=set with respect o the longitudinal can or axis of the sash whereby one side of the sash swi into the housing upon movement oi the see about its 49 pivote oints and means carriedb the side walls 0 the cum and the so for excludi the weather rem the joints between the so and said housin side walls.

In testimony whereof afix mg nature.

OSCAR G SON, 

